Japanese-Style Eggplant Gyoza

Ingredients

• 1 eggplant
• 30g mushrooms (any kind)
• salt
• cooking oil
• 7 dumpling wrappers
• perilla leaves
• (filling) a pinch of salt
• 1t ginger
• 1T miso
• 2t sugar
• 1T sesame oil
• 1t starch
• 1 egg
• (sauce) 1T red wine vinegar
• a pinch of salt
• 1T sugar

Check items off while grocery shopping - it’s remembered here.

Steps

1. 01

   Cut the eggplant into 1cm cubes, place in a tray, sprinkle with salt, and let sit for about 10 minutes. Squeeze out the moisture afterward.

2. 02

   Finely chop the mushrooms and sauté in a pan with olive oil.

3. 03

   Make the filling. In a mixing bowl, combine the mushrooms from step 2 with a pinch of salt, 1t ginger, 1T miso, 2t sugar, 1T sesame oil, 1t starch, and 1 egg, mixing well. (The mixture is runny - add more starch and sift it to thicken.)

4. 04

   Lay a halved perilla leaf on a dumpling wrapper, top with the filling from step 3, and fold lightly so the filling stays visible. Wetting the edges helps them stick together.

5. 05

   Pour cooking oil into a pan and pan-fry the dumplings from step 4 over low heat. Once the bottoms turn golden, add water, cover, and steam for about 2 minutes.

6. 06

   Mix 1T red wine vinegar, a pinch of salt, and 1T sugar for a dipping sauce.